Associate membership is the next step for those who are already affiliate members of the Society and are in the early stages of their FIGG career (less than 3 years). It is a transitory membership, members may be associate members for no more than 7 years (if after 7 years they do not fulfil the criteria for full membership, they may choose to continue as affiliate members).
Associate members are entitled to use the ASoFIGG post-nominals, e.g. Janet Smith, ASoFIGG.
As of 2026, the annual associate membership fee is £89 (the upgrade cost from affiliate to associate is therefore £40).
What is considered FIGG work?
FIGG practitioners work on forensic investigations (e.g. unidentified human remains, suspects of violent crimes) and are involved in all three core aspects of FIGG work:
- Genealogical research
- Genetic analysis (e.g. working with DNA kits & matches, analysing relationships)
- Investigative methods (e.g., OSINT or identifying DNA matches)
Professionals who contribute only to one area — for example, performing bioinformatics analyses only, or building family trees without integrating genetic-genealogical analysis — are not considered FIGG practitioners for the purposes of professional tier membership but are much valued members of the SoFIGG community and are encouraged to join as affiliate members.
Benefits
Associate members enjoy free live access to regular online talks organised by SoFIGG. They are also listed in the membership directory increasing their professional visibility and are eligible to use ASoFIGG post-nominals and the associate membership emblem on their website and other professional materials. As professional-tier members they receive early notifications about any job listings that may appear in the membership portal.
Becoming an associate member
In order to become an associate member an applicant should fulfil the following criteria:
- Be an affiliate member
- Hold a Bachelor’s degree (or higher)
- Have begun FIGG work
- Commit to continued education
Application process
In order to begin the application an applicant is required to pay a non-refundable admin fee of £15 (this will be subtracted from the cost of the membership upgrade). In addition, applicants will be asked to provide following documentation:
- CV
- Degree certificate
- Names of two professional referees
Applicants will receive a confirmation of their new membership status within 30 days of the required documents being sent for the review.
